When to water a seed bed

Local experts say I should water a seed bed before sowing, not after. I can’t see what difference it can make — can you?

Yes, although it’s not a major difference. The reasoning is that you shouldn’t do anything to make it more difficult for the seeds to grow. If you water a seed drill or a seed tray before sowing, you can make sure that water gets to the soil or the compost with which the seeds will actually be in contact. You can then sow the seeds and rake loose soil or scatter loose compost over them to keep the moisture in. The loose layer above will give the fragile seedlings an easy passage to the surface.

If you water after you’ve sown and covered the seeds — particularly if you drop the water on from a height — you run two risks. First, you may not put on enough waterto reach the seeds. Second, you may wash the seeds together when watering copiously.

More important, though, than whether you water before or after sowing, is that all seeds need moisture to germinate. If you sow them in dry soil or compost, they’ll just remain dormant until it becomes moist. And the longer they lie inactive, the more likely they are to be attacked by pests or diseases. Also, brisk germination is essential for an even crop or flower display.

A word of warning: once you start watering a seed bed in dry weather, make sure that you keep it up. Seedsare encouraged to germinate by moist conditions. The resulting seedlings will soon perish if you forget to water them.

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